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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Cherokee (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Cherokee. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Cherokee is located in Alfalfa County and is the County Seat.

To see how the shape of Oklahoma's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Alfalfa County: Barber (KS), Harper (KS), Garfield, Grant, Major & Woods.

Below are the counties that are near Cherokee. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Cherokee:

  • Alfalfa County     (The home county of Cherokee)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cherokee, with the one closest to Cherokee listed first.
    • Ingersoll
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Yewed
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Lambert
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Vining
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Burlington
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burlington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
      • Burlington is located in Alfalfa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 160 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burlington <2>
    • Byron
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Byron have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byron
      • Byron is located in Alfalfa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35 people
    • Jet
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Amorita
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Amorita have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amorita
      • Amorita is located in Alfalfa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 38 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Amorita <2>
    • Carmen
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Helena
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Helena have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
      • Helena is located in Alfalfa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,417 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Helena <2>
    • Aline
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Goltry
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Garfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cherokee, with the one closest to Cherokee listed first.
    • Hillsdale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Carrier
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carrier have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrier
      • Carrier is located in Garfield County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carrier <2>
    • Lahoma
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lahoma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lahoma
      • Lahoma is located in Garfield County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 610 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lahoma <2>
  • Grant County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cherokee, with the one closest to Cherokee listed first.
    • Nash
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nash have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nash
      • Nash is located in Grant County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 196 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nash <2>
    • Sand Creek
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sand Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Creek
      • Sand Creek is located in Grant County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sand Creek
      • From Cherokee to Sand Creek
    • Manchester
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Wakita
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
  • Major County
  • Woods County
  • Barber County (KS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cherokee, with the one closest to Cherokee listed first.
    • Kiowa
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Stubbs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Hazelton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Hardtner
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Gerlane
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gerlane. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gerlane
      • Gerlane is located in Barber County (KS)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gerlane
      • From Cherokee to Gerlane
    • Eldred ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eldred. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldred
      • Eldred is located in Barber County (KS)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Eldred
      • From Cherokee to Eldred
  • Harper County (KS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cherokee, with the one closest to Cherokee listed first.
    • Waldron
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waldron have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldron
      • Waldron is located in Harper County (KS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10 people
    • Ruella
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ruella have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruella
      • Ruella is located in Harper County (KS)
    • Crisfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Crisfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crisfield
      • Crisfield is located in Harper County (KS)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Crisfield
      • From Cherokee to Crisfield

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Cherokee, see our County-by-County Page for Cherokee.

Cemeteries Near Cherokee ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Cherokee.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Cherokee covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Cherokee, with the one closest to Cherokee listed first.

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Cherokee had no post office or railroad service. In 2020, Cherokee had a population of 1,492 people.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Cherokee, with the one closest to Cherokee listed first.

  • Driftwood
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Driftwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Driftwood
    • Driftwood is located in Alfalfa County
  • Jet
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Helena
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Helena have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
    • Helena is located in Alfalfa County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,417 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Helena <2>
  • Aline
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
  • Alva
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Kiowa
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
  • Carwile
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carwile have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carwile
    • Carwile is located in Alfalfa County
  • Noel
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Noel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noel
    • Noel is located in Woods County
  • Corwin
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Corwin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corwin
    • Corwin is located in Harper County (KS)
  • Hazelton
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
  • Ruella
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ruella have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruella
    • Ruella is located in Harper County (KS)
  • Hardtner
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (4 more) ...
    • Wakita
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Crisfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Crisfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crisfield
      • Crisfield is located in Harper County (KS)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Crisfield
      • From Cherokee to Crisfield
    • Winchester
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Winchester. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
      • Winchester is located in Woods County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Winchester
      • From Cherokee to Winchester

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Cherokee. See our List of 1890's Communities around Cherokee.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Cherokee ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 68 newspapers that have been published in the area around Cherokee.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Cherokee. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Cherokee and those printed in the larger area surrounding Cherokee.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<5> of Cherokee.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Cherokee:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Cherokee. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Oklahoma: https://www.ok.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Cherokee) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Cherokee. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.7537, Longitude: -98.3571    
<6>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Cherokee, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025